The Afterwards
by Ambu Kakashi
Summary: One year after her beloved parteners deaths, Azmaria had taken to a mission and has told no one about it. Will a little help from a certian sibling, will she be able to bring Rosette and Chrno back?


_Hello all! As you know, I have been absent from basically ALL of my fanfics and I am extremely sorry. Senior year is very stressful but FINALLY I am free from its burden. Graduated with nothing to do…(except for looking for a job.) I am back to writing fanfics. I'm changing course a little bit by doin' a Chrno Crusade story. _

_There is one thing that bugs me (SPOILER!) when people do fanfics with characters that have died. I mean, it's alright to write stories about them while they are still alive in the anime or manga sequence of events…but I read all the time about say…Chrno and Rosette living happily after they had died together on the bench and everything. I dunno…Is something a bit creepy about that? Gosh, people. You need to improvise. Like I'm gonna do. The first couple of chapters are mainly gonna be about Azmaria because…well, pretty much all the other main characters are dead. This takes place after Chrno and Rosettes tragic and touching…and heart wrenching deaths. Well…here I go. _

Chapter 1

The thunder could be heard through out the Magdalian Order…the walls were trembling and shaking and leaks of water could be found dripping in corridors from the rain. The illumination of the lightning briefly brightened the halls that a young, beautiful apostle-nun walked. Her silverfish mane of hair was getting blown by the drafts of wind coming in through the open windows. The taps of her shoes echoed along with the pouring rain.

It had been nearly a year since her partners' deaths…and she was far from over it. All the other sisters had noticed a definite change in Azmaria's upbeat personality. If you asked them, they would say that he had turned into a recluse- keeping in her chambers and hardly talking to anyone unless they talked to her first. Father Remington and Sister Kate had tried all they could to cheer her up but to no avail. The only things that gave her enjoyment were the almost daily missions that were assigned to her. She only had one request though- she is never to have a partner.

Azmaria walked by a room with it's door wide open. There was a great chatter coming from inside and Azmaria paused a second to observe what was inside. The pause was too long and Sister Eliza noticed her standing under the door frame. Quickly, she rushed over to Azmaria, hoping for anything that Azmaria was coming around. "Azmaria, dear! It's wonderful that you have graced us with your presence."

Azmaria gave a forced smile and a nod but she turned and started walking back down the hall.

"Oh! But of course you would want to stay for the birthday party, Azmaria. Father's just ready to cut the cake."

Azmaria stopped and quietly asked "Who's birthday is it-so that I may congratulate them later?"

"It's Joshua's! You know, Rosette's younger brother. He just arrived this morning bu- Oh look! Here he is now." Sure enough, a handsome boy with astonishing blonde hair rounded the corner to the entrance of the party.

Once he saw her, he gave Azmaria a bright smile and offered her his hand. Sister Eliza took from Azmaria's entranced expression on her face that she could not speak. The sister did it for her "Mr. Joshua, this is Sister Azmaria Hendric. Second in command of the Magodalian Order's mission squad."

Joshua nodded, still smiling. After a minute of her intense staring, he added "Ah, well…"

Azmaria couldn't hold it in anymore. The resemblance between he and Rosette was unbearable. She tore off down the hall, weeping and not turning back. She didn't think that she ever could meet with the brother of her deceased friend and sister…she was too afraid to. All she knew was that Father Remington was raising him as his own son…and that Joshua remembers nothing about the past or the people in it.

Once she could no longer hear the noises coming from room, she slowed down. Her heart was still beating so loudly that she put her hand over it to possible muffle the sound. She had seen pictures of Joshua, of course, but nothing could have prepared her for that encounter. Azmaria felt terrible for fleeing like that, but Sister Eliza would explain…and seeing as Joshua is the brother of the most compassionate person the she knew, she suspected that he would understand. She headed back toward her room to her most recent project- one that she has told no one about.

She knew deep down in her heart that it could not be done. It would be inconceivable to accomplish even by the highest angel in the heavens. A life could never be the same…if it was ever brought back from the dead. This fact never, ever stopped the apostle from trying her hardest to defy God or the Devil- she wasn't sure who.

She opened her chamber door to piles and piles of books and research scattering the floor and any available surfaces. There was about 10 months worth of resurrection information compiled into her brain, thoughts, and room. This she did every night. Study on her partners behalf, and study on behalf of the Order. According to her, there was no time to sleep. The stone that, the beautiful and deadly demon destroyer, Stella, gave Azmaria, made up for her sleep. Azmaria had made an enchantment with it so it would channel it's powers into her body- literally turning her into a living robot, much like the "summons" that Stella herself called upon to fight with.

She was in a middle of a breakthrough tonight. She had Chrno taken care of. Since he was a devil and "immortal", it would be easy enough to bring his soul back to earth. All she needed to do was to find his soul, recover his body and then his own power would attach the two itself. Rosette's case would be much more difficult. She needed help, but from who? She thought about Chrno, but Azmaria could never do that to him. She didn't want him to awake to find that his savior, his best friend, and his love was still dead. No, she wanted the full plan laid out before she did anything. She kept this all to herself however, because the other sisters including Sister Kate would try to stop her. They would call it "immoral" and "against god's plan." Azmaria didn't care anymore. If god was so tyrannous as to take their lives, then Azmaria would be defiant so as to bring their lives back.

There was a sudden but quiet knock on the door which made her jump. Azmaria stashed the articles of paper that she was holding just then and made her way to the door. She opened it and to her extreme surprise, Joshua was standing there waiting with a patient smile on his face. Azmaria was frozen in shock and couldn't move for quite a few seconds. Once again, she did nothing but stare into his eyes and look at his face, with a frightened and entranced look on hers.

"I don't mean to intrude…" he started "…but I wondered if you weren't to busy, if we could talk."

Azmaria snapped out of it. "What do you want to talk about?"

A little color rose in his cheeks. "Oh well, I don't really know." He offered her another smile.

…And she took it. She stepped back and welcomed him in. Closing the door behind her, Azmaria just stared at him while he looked around…dodging books and article clippings.

"Joshua…?"

"Yes?" He turned toward her relieved that she was starting some kind of conversation.

"H-Has anyone told you…how much you look like your sister?"

Suddenly, Joshua looked very saddened. "Yes. My father…Father Remington, says it all the time. And yet, I still don't know what he means. I have no siblings, that I recall." He forced another smile…and Azmaria knew it.

She was furious that Father Remington didn't have the decency to tell him…well, everything. She didn't want to be the one to either…but he had the right to know. She didn't know where to begin…

"Do you remember that picture that you drew? The one with a boy, with purple hair…and a young woman with blonde hair?"

Recollection sparked in his eyes. "Yes! I do! That was a very long time ago. But how did you…?" he started to ask.

Azmaria sat down on her bed and Joshua took a vacant chair. "Father showed it to me…the day that you drew it. Have you any idea who those two people are?"

"No. They are in my dreams…practically every night, but I have no clue who they are." Azmaria just smiled.

"Do they say anything to you?"

He thought for a moment. "No…but the boy always grabs my hand and pulls me up from the ground, like he's helping me with something…and the girl leans down and kisses my forehead." He smiled a little and added "She's very pretty."

Azmaria was crying inside. _That is just like those two._ She laughed a little and quieted down. "Joshua…the boy's name is Chrno. He is your sister's best friend…a-and that means that the girl…is your sister, Rosette."

Joshua just looked at her in shock. "Wha-…How'de-…?" He couldn't say anything. "I can't…I can't believe it. No, I don't have any sisters…which means they can't have any best friends."

Azmaria said "It's true. I knew them both well. They helped me in more ways that I could possible imagine."

He was quiet for a moment and then asked "Well, where are they now?"

Azmaria explained everything…about Aion, about Rosette's constant search for Joshua, about Chrno being a powerful demon (and the fact that the boy that Joshua saw was Chrno's "conservative" form.), and she told him about the special bond that Rosette and Chrno had with the necklace and such…

The explanation went well into the depth of the night.

_There you go! The next chapter will be MUCH longer! No worries! And it should be up next week sometime. xD Hurray! Alrighty, well if you want more, go and read all my other fan fics and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Catch ya'll on the flip side…_


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